Free The Shades of Time by Diane Nelson Page A

mission with dire consequences for his Order, his
culture and even time itself. The operative, Veluria, was also an
unexpected complication in that she had awakened unholy desires
he'd denied himself for far too long. He craved her and her alone.
How ironic, he was a man with a banquet of sin to be sampled and
treasured and savored—but instead he succumbed to her wiles,
yearning for nothing more than the black comfort of her soul.
    Like a
bloodhound on a scent, he snapped his head around and sighed, "Ah,
there." Adjusting the link, he allowed the energy to flow through
and around him, accentuating the signal. "And the Demon de' Medici.
Interesting."
    With the
Council suspecting the Medicis being at the nexus of the historical
perturbations, having all the players in one spot would serve his
purpose better than divide and conquer. The Demon would secure his
quarry soon enough so he need do nothing more than wait.
    Veluria had no
idea how deep his hooks went into her psyche. Everything she did,
everyone she touched would be an open book to him.
    And when the
time came, he would finally have his heart's desire…
     
     
     
     

Chapter
Seven
     
     
     
    "No, Papà, I do
not know where Tonio has gone."
    Stefano hung
his head in misery. He ached in places no man should bear, far
beyond the physical discomfort his enraged brother had inflicted,
justifiably so. It was shame, a deep abiding black hole that ate at
his soul, not in small nibbles but with ravenous bites, tearing,
ripping and shredding until he could barely stand against the
assault on what he once considered his greatest strength—purity of
spirit.
    Tonio had
tried, so very hard had he fought for him, but time and
circumstances, and this vexing miasma of intrigue and unknowable
confluence of fate had finally broken the walls of protection his
possessed sibling had erected. Protected no longer, Stefano could
not help but feel abandoned. He blamed Antonio, for that was the
easy way and he was always about ease of passage.
    ' Tonight could be different. Tonight
could be when you become the man you were meant to be.' Antonio's deep voice husked softly in his mind, as
ever, his spirit-guide.
    "… and I assume
you took care of your little problem?" Cosimo de' Medici glared at
his youngest son, everyone's court favorite, the handsomest of the
three he'd sired legitimately.
    Stefano gulped
audibly, having paid little attention to the incessant tirade about
his shortcomings on this matter. "Yes sir. The Guards took care of
the … matter."
    Cosimo huffed,
"Well, then. Come, my boy, let us sit. I have much to discuss about
your prospects."
    "Prospects?"
    Stefano's gut
clenched, knowing full well what his father had in mind, none of it
good for his future wants or desires. He would be auctioned off
like a prize stallion to the highest bidder, likely to one of the
hideous Habsburg bitches, of which dozens seemed to come out the
narrow parapets so favored by the Duchys and their prideful
inhabitants.
    He whispered,
"I wish you had cut it off, Brother. You would have saved me from a
lifetime of agony."
    "What?"
    "Nothing,
Papà."
    Cosimo, short
and deceptively stout, guided his taller son to a small alcove off
his main meeting room. A fire burned cozily against the far wall,
driving away the ever-present damp and chill, even in the heat of
high summer. Plump cushions, burgundy velvet and tasseled at the
corners, lay close at hand. A flagon of red wine and a plate of
cured meats and cheeses sat invitingly between the cushions.
    With a sigh,
Cosimo sank onto the nearest pillow. Stefano followed, lowering
himself slowly as the brush of cloth against his cock opened and
irritated the small knicks and cuts. Phantom pain, and a strange
remembered pleasure from his public coupling with the whore, left
him feeling twisted and oddly curious about his unexpected arousal
and feelings of satisfaction as the men had goaded and cheered him
on. They'd chided, then commiserated, when he could